Bee stings can be fatal to persons who are allergic to such stings if they do not receive an antitoxin within a short period after they have been stung by a bee. Thus, these people have to take proper precautions to have readily available or be in close proximity to an injection device in order to inject themselves or be injected with the antitoxin within the required time to save their lives. This is true also with regard to other bites, allergic reactions, asthmatics and allied problems.
A typical kit consists of a conventional syringe and a rubber-sealed container containing the antitoxin or a loaded syringe. Several drawbacks to this kit are noteworthy. The needle of the syringe has to be inserted through the rubber seal, the antitoxin has to be drawn into the syringe, aspirated and then injected into the body. This can be difficult for a person under emotional stress who is in emminent danger of losing his or her life unless the antitoxin is administered in time, because the container could be dropped and broken before being drawn into the syringe, the syringe could be broken, and, if aspiration of the syringe is not properly done, air could be injected into the body causing serious harm. Moreover, the mecessity of having to carry the syringe and antitoxin container can be difficult and subject them to breakage.
Complicated syringes using spring release mechanisms such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,543,603; 3,496,937; 2,856,924; 3,702,609 and 3,742,948 can be used, but these are expensive and susceptible to being accidentially actuated thereby not being available for emergency use.